Greece › Athens › Museums › Byzantine and Christian Museum
Updated: August 15, 2022
By Santorini Dave
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Tickets: Purchase at museum.
Founded in 1914, the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens is home to the largest collection of Byzantine art ranging from 3rd to 21st centuries. Housed within a beautiful 1848 Florentine-style palace, displays are arranged over a couple of levels and cover many centuries of art and culture. The museum’s permanent collection features rare and well-preserved 13th-Century icons – including a mosaic of the Virgin Mary from Constantinople, scriptures, mosaics and frescoes, good currency coins, and various other artifacts that give visitors a good sense of the scope, influence, and legacy of the Byzantine Empire.
The permanent collection is housed in the building to the left of the main building, in which temporary exhibitions are displayed (behind the ticket desk). The museum is worth a visit not only for its well-curated collection, but also for the onsite Ilissia café/restaurant, museum gift shop, and beautiful gardens. Located nextdoor to the Athens War Museum, about 900 meters east of Syntagma Square and a 300-meter walk from the closest metro station, Evangelismos.
Byzantine and Christian Museum Hours and Information
- Hours: 8am – 8pm Sunday to Monday, 1pm to 8pm Tuesday (15th June-31st August). Closed Tuesdays from September to mid-June. Closed January 1, March 25, Orthodox Easter, May 1, December 25 & 26.
- Website: byzantinemuseum.gr
- Location: Leof. Vasilissis Sofias 22
- Telephone: +30 213 213 9517
- Admission Fee: 4€ November through March, 8€ April through October. A package ticket is available for 15€, valid for 3 days, that includes entrance to the National Archaeological Museum, Byzantine & Christian Museum, Numismatic Museum, and Epigraphical Museum.
- Free Entry: March 6, April 18, May 18, the last weekend of September, October 28, and the first Sunday of each month from November 1st until March 31st.
- Parking: Street parking, nearby pay lots.
- Nearest Metro: Evangelismos
Athens Byzantine and Christian Museum
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About Santorini Dave
I'm Santorini Dave. I started this site in 2011 with a short article on tips for visiting Santorini with kids. We're now a small team of writers and researchers dedicated to providing the best travel content on the internet. We focus on Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, and Greece, offering recommendations for top hotels, neighborhoods, and family-friendly hotels worldwide. I can be contacted at dave@santorinidave.com.